Trades Academy Offers Vocational Pathways

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The Massage Therapy Foundation has secured an impressive line-up of keynote speakers for its triennial International Massage Therapy Research Conference in Seattle in May. Included is Dr Jo Smith, SIT Programme Manager for years two and three of the Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage (degree) and co-leader of the New Zealand Massage Therapy Research Centre. Having developed the first Bachelor’s degree in massage therapy in the southern hemisphere, Dr Smith has now focused on developing a culture of research within the BTSM and the New Zealand massage industry.Dr Smith’s PhD research focused on the culture of care and practice patterns within New Zealand and she has also carried out research into outcomes, professionalisation and educational issues pertinent to massage therapy.

United States Ambassador Mark Gilbert revisited his passion for sports when he met with SIT Queenstown Certificate in Personal Training students recently. A former professional baseball player, who played with the Chicago White Sox in 1985, Ambassador Gilbert joined the students at the Queenstown Events Centre to observe and participate in one of their lessons.Ambassador Gilbert said he was very impressed by the students and the practical nature of the Personal Training course, as well as the access students had to high quality facilities at the Queenstown Events Centre for practical components and for training clients. “It’s fantastic they can use these facilities for their course.”After meeting with the students, Ambassador Gilbert and his wife Nancy had a tour of the SIT Queenstown campus where they met students and staff.

US Ambassador Visits Queenstown Campus

Massage Therapy

“I am looking forward to showcasing SIT’s BTSM (Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage) as we are world leaders in massage therapy bachelor’s degree education.” SIT Programme Manager Dr Jo Smith

“My keynote presentation will illustrate 15 years of bachelor’s degree education for massage therapists in New Zealand, as well as discussing the ‘Changing Landscapes and the Next Generation of Massage Therapists’.”The conference is designed to bring industry professionals from around the world up-to-date on the latest knowledge, allow them to meet research professionals, share insights with massage colleagues, and potentially have an impact on the direction of future research in massage therapy.

US Ambassador Mark Gilbert and wife Nancy at the SIT Queenstown campus

Conference Will Boost

Freephone: 0800 4 0 FEES (0800 4 0 3337) Phone: 03 211 2699 Fax: 03 214 4977 Email: info@sit.ac.nz* Direct material costs apply

The Murihiku Trades Academy opened its doors in February, offering vocational training for 40 secondary school students within three industry sectors: construction, engineering and beauty/retail.SIT is the lead provider for the Academy and will work with the region’s schools to ensure students are given the opportunity to gain vocational skills at SIT every Friday while continuing their study at school.Southland Girls’ High School Principal Yvonne Browning said it was great for both the province and secondary school students to finally have a Trades Academy.

“It is an exciting addition to the repertoire of pathways that schools can provide for their students.We are all looking forward to working with SIT in this venture and the future opportunities that will come from it.”Southland Girls’ High School Principal Yvonne Browning

SIT Trades and Technology Head of Faculty Doug Rodgers, who heads the Murihiku Trades Academy, said the students have engaged very well with the industry-driven material and are working towards NCEA Level 2 in a matching Vocational Pathway (construction, manufacturing and services).He said the partnerships being created with Southland secondary schools are just the start of a suite of initiatives being worked on to form lasting relationships in the wider education sector.

SIT Chief Executive Penny Simmonds was thrilled to be named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the 2016 New Year Honours List for her contribution to education, sport and the Southland community. One of 14 in New Zealand to be made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Penny, although extremely honoured, said the recognition was about more than just her work.

“I think the whole award is recognising SIT and the work SIT has done for our province over the years.”“I’m thrilled for everyone at SIT. The staff and community have worked really hard to make SIT what it is.”SIT Chief Executive Penny Simmonds

Penny has been Chief Executive of SIT for 18 years and was instrumental in the implementation of the Zero Fees Scheme in 2001. This scheme has attracted thousands of students to the Southland region,

boosting the economy and reversing population decline. It has given New Zealanders the opportunity to gain NZQA approved qualifications up to postgraduate level and to progress to meaningful careers without incurring high levels of debt.Penny also initiated a marketing strategy, which upon implementation, successfully increased SIT’s international student numbers from 29 in 2000 to 1,000 in 2014. “They [international students] have been great for Southland,” she said.Penny is currently President

of New Zealand Hockey, having previously been Vice-President for four years and Chair of Hockey Southland for six years. She played a leading role in the development of world class hockey facilities including two Olympic standard water turfs in Invercargill, at which several international tournaments have been held. This is an achievement she is very proud of.“I’ve been involved with hockey my whole life,” she said.Penny is also a board member of the Community Trust of Southland and Venture Southland, and a trustee of Film Otago Southland. She is also involved with the Youth Futures Programme.Passionate about the Southland community, Penny has played an integral role in the establishment of the Southland Regional Development Strategy, the key to which is total liveability. Penny leads one of the six action teams charged with producing an action plan. These will be combined into a regional plan to drive the strategy forward over the short to medium term with an expected positive outcome of delivering growth and change for Southland.

New Year Honour recognises SIT Chief Executive Penny Simmonds

Governor General, Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae congratulates Chief Executive Penny Simmonds after she received the CNZM at Government House in Wellington

World record-holding mountaineering twins, Tashi and Nungshi Malik were among the speakers at TEDxQueenstown, held at the Queenstown Memorial Centre in April.Now in its fourth year, the half-day “Connexions’’ themed event champions ideas worth spreading, inviting “thinkers’’ and innovators to deliver presentations of 18 minutes or fewer in an area of their expertise. The sisters, originally from India, are completing a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise at SIT and hope to encourage other young women in India and around the world to get involved in outdoor pursuits. Nungshi said working with the solid, dedicated and energetic TEDx Queenstown team was a great experience and learning curve for them both.“We had a great mix of speakers from all around who came up with ideas worth spreading and strong messages that enabled us to reflect and analyse our life’s motive and purpose of belonging to this beautiful Mother Earth.”“TEDx provides a great platform for people to network and strengthen human relationships.”

The Otatara School Band, along with their teacher Sarah Lovell who is studying the Graduate Diploma in Contemporary Music at SIT, visited the SIT music department and performed in the weekly lunchtime music concert at the SIT Centrestage Theatre on the final day of the school term. A large audience of students, teachers, parents and supporters were highly entertained by the young performers.Sixty-seven students, aged between 6 and 10, took part onstage in the concert. They played a variety of instruments: xylophones, ukuleles, guitars, keys, drums, percussion, clarinet and recorder. SIT music students provided mentoring and supported the students onstage as they performed “In the Jungle (The Lion Sleeps tonight)” and “I’m A Believer”. Following their performances, the children joined the audience to enjoy the remainder of the concert provided by the SIT contemporary music students.

Twin Sisters Encourage Young Women into Outdoor Pursuits

The SIT Bachelor of Contemporary Music students annual Kids’ Concert Week, now in its 14th year, is fast approaching, with up to three shows per day, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, May 24 – 27. The shows are very popular within the community, with over 1000 children already booked to attend. A family friendly evening concert will also be available on Wednesday, May 25 at 7pm at Centre Stage theatre. This one-hour concert is free, but we do ask that you bring a can of food to donate to Food Bank.

Kids’ Concert Week Coming Soon…

Bachelor of Contemporary Music student Rebekah Tripp sings ‘Let it Go’

Otatara School Band Performs at SIT Centrestage Theatre

2015 At a Glance Page 2

NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever Page 2

Superdiversity Workshop Page 3

Maori Language Classes Page 3

Massage Therapy International Conference Page 4

US Ambassador Visits Queenstown Campus Page 4

T e W h a r e W a n a n g a O M u r i h i k u MAY 2 0 1 6

2015 at a Glance

13,090STUDENTS

PROGRAMMES183+ 4,907

EFTS**

government funding

international student fees

total expenses

domestic student fees

surplus

other income

total net assets

$32,026,000

total income$49,251,000

$8,932,000

$46,819,000

$801,000

$2,432,000

$7,456,000

$99,210,000

96%OF SIT GRADUATESReported they were IN EMPLOYMENT

OR STUDYINGGraduate Outcome Survey 2014

92%OVERALL STUDENT

Student Satisfaction Survey 2015SATISFACTION

39% 61%Male Female

STUDENT GENDER*

STUDENT AGE*

Under 25 years

25+ years

37% 63%

STUDENT ETHNICITY*

16% 3% 6% 79% 4%Maori Pacific

IslanderAsian European Others

*Goverment funded EFTS ** Equivalent Full Time Students

CAMPUSES

ª Invercargill ª Christchurch ª Queenstown ª Gore ª Auckland5

Digital Media Students Assist in Goodbye Pork Pie RemakeFour SIT Digital Media students gained hands-on experience during filming in Invercargill for the Goodbye Pork Pie remake, titled Pork Pie. Producer Tom Hern said the film crew had taken on four student interns from SIT’s digital media school for the film scenes which were shot in Invercargill in mid May. Mr Hern said the students worked in a range of areas including the art department, locations and film production.

Student Gains Place in NZ Song Writing FinalsBachelor of Contemporary Music student Joanna Buchanan has been announced as a finalist for her song ‘The River’, in the NZ Song Writing Awards. She will perform at the NZ Country Music Awards on Thursday, June 2 at the SBS, St James Theatre in Gore.Joanna said that her course was giving her the skills she needed to succeed in the competitive world of contemporary songwriting. Joanna’s favourite genres are Gospel, Blues and Ragtime.

SIT Information Technology Degree Sparks Competition SuccessNZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever Award finalist and business owner, Jim Dowling caught the ‘start-up’ bug while completing his Bachelor of Information Technology at SIT. “I was provided with a lot of opportunities during my time at SIT – from projects with clients, external events and encouraging tutors, I felt all these aspects contributed to shaping myself into the IT world.”Jim was motivated to enter the awards as his business Digital Stock of three years was growing and he considered it would raise further awareness of the company.Winners from each category will be announced at a gala dinner at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on May 20.

Superdiversity Workshop Fosters Welcoming Environment

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SIT, in collaboration with the Superdiversity Centre, organised a Cultural Awareness and Building Cultural Capabilities workshop for 100 SIT staff and international students in February. The workshop, led by Superdiversity Centre chair and University of Auckland School of Law Adjunct Professor Mai Chen, helped give staff the tools they require to support our growing international student population.Ms Chen said that while enabling migrants was key, it was also important to create a welcoming environment.

“The most important thing is to be welcoming. It requires a change in mindset.”Superdiversity Centre Chair Mai Chen

The workshop also offered solutions to assist in attracting, retaining and growing international student numbers on campus and long term in the Southland region. The initiative was linked to the Southland Regional Development Strategy and benefited both staff and students, as 50 international students were invited to attend the workshop to work alongside staff.

The staff and students were split into groups and given a problem under the ‘Southland Challenge’ umbrella. The teams presented sketches showcasing cultural awareness in front of a judging panel comprising:

ª His Worship, Mayor of Invercargill, Tim Shadbolt

ª President, Southland Chamber of Commerce, Carla Forbes

ª Chair, Superdiversity Centre, Mai Chen ª SIT Chief Executive Penny Simmonds

SIT Chief Executive Penny Simmonds, who also attended the workshop, said there was a need to encourage more interaction and engagement between domestic and international students and the wider community.“When we had mainly domestic students, they had their own networks,” she said. Ms Chen stressed the need for people not to judge others based on stereotypes.She said this was more important than ever considering the increasing diversity of both SIT - where she said about 20 per cent of students were international students - and New Zealand as a whole.

Students Help Locate Noxious Velvet Leaf PlantWith the recent outbreak of the Velvet Leaf plant in Northern Southland, Student Activities and Employment Officer Phil Dobson approached classes for eligible students and spouses to assist with field work.“In total we have had 36 students and spouses helping out in the field with MPI, Asure Quality, and Environment Southland staff as part of the Velvet Leaf Eradication Project throughout the region,” said Phil.Native to Southern Asia, Velvet Leaf is an extremely invasive plant in agriculture that is detrimental to fodder crops. A Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) spokesperson said it had arrived in New Zealand through fodder beet seeds from Italy that were then pelletised in Denmark.

Māori Language Classes Attract Large NumbersSouthlanders have never been so interested in learning about Māori culture and language according to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWOA) tutors teaching the Māori language to Southlanders at SIT.TWOA Business coordinator Arana Collett said the number of students enrolling in courses in the last four years had almost doubled with about 180 students enrolled in 2012 and more than 300 enrolled in language courses this year.

“There was a greater awareness of the Māori culture in Southland with people from varied cultural backgrounds expressing interest in the courses.” TWOA Business Coordinator Arana Collett

“More people had expressed interest in the classes in the past 3 years, than in the past 10.”Te Wānanga o Aoteroa offers cultural, computing and language courses as part of a strategic partnership with SIT and has done so for the past 13 years.More than seven language classes were running at SIT this year with additional classes being taught off campus at Wanaka, Cromwell and Queenstown and the possibility of a Te Anau class in the near future.

Carpentry Apprentices Showcase Their SkillsSouthern region building apprentices had just eight hours to build a children’s playhouse from scratch as part of the 2016 Certified Builders‘ Carpentry Apprentice Challenge, held at SIT in April.NZ Certified Builders’ National Support Office Membership Development Manager Nick Matthews said two of the five apprentices who participated, Luiz Fernando and Mark Templeton, were enrolled with SIT under the ITAB Apprenticeship Programme. The winner of the regional competition, with near immaculate workmanship, was Mark Templeton. He will now compete with 11 other apprentices in the national finals in Wellington in May.Luiz, who graduated from SIT Queenstown’s Certificate in Construction last year and was also awarded Top Student at SIT, came runner-up in the challenge.The completed playhouses were donated to early childcare providers in the region. The lucky recipients were 1000 Day Trust, Tramway Play Centre, Queenstown Preschool and Nursery, Hawea Kindergarten and SIT Early Childhood Centre.

Business Students Assist Koha Kai Charity SIT Certificate in Business (Level 4) students have chosen the charity Koha Kai as their Enterprise Research Project this semester. As part of their studies they will be raising money for this very worthy cause. Koha Kai organiser Janice Lee recently gave an inspirational presentation to the Certificate in Business students about what Koha Kai does and how she set it up. A voluntary organisation, Kohai Kai’s primary aim is to walk the journey to employment in step with people with disabilities. “We are happy to be working alongside this group to help them achieve their goals, as well as giving our trainees the opportunity to interact further with others in our community,” Janice Lee said.

Regional Winner Mark Templeton

Superdiversity Centre Chair Mai Chen provides workshop at SIT to support growing international student numbers